The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 15, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Mom manages to make about every mistake in the kindergarten book when she visits school one day.

Mom looks a little woebegone when she drops her daughter off at kindergarten, so her daughter invites her to come for the day. But Mom doesn’t know the rules, so she neglects to take off her outdoor shoes (“I was SHOCKED,” says her daughter), talks out of turn (“VERY EMBARRASSING, Mom”), spills crumbs from her sandwich, blabs during storytime and grumps when her art project doesn’t turn out. But she gradually gets the hang of things, and by the end, she is almost a kindergartener, though the chairs really are too small. Fergus has provided a fun poke at role reversal, with the mother as the utter miscreant and the daughter striking an admonitory note. It has a nice, natural touch, and it should be a solace for any kid who worries about entering kindergarten: Mistakes are not the end of the world. Lowery provides a strong supporting background with strong lines and great fields of color in his illustrations. The artwork also squares readers to the kindergarten setting: You can almost smell the crayons and feel in the cubbies for your shoes.

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